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1939_07_23 THE DOOR OF LOVE


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THE DOOR OF LOVE

 

Reflection

 

The life of contemporary people is at a standstill. In this respect, it resembles a man who has reached a static state: wherever he goes, whatever he does, he is constantly thinking about the past, about his youth. He repeats one and the same thing and does not acquire anything new. They say, that practice makes perfect. The old man says that the repetitions comfort him. Some believers also talk about their past – how they were filled with enthusiasm, what ideals excited them, how they loved one another, etc. To repeat things means to declaim them without adding anything new from you. But this is a standstill in life.

 

Christ says: " Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a person be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (Verse 3) The kingdom of God is a world towards which the souls strive. So the one who is born passes into another state. He has not reached a standstill, a static state, like the old man - he enters into a new area instead, where the things rejuvenate. The meaning of life is in the eternal youth of the soul.

 

Many people complain that they are not successful in their life. The reason for their failure is in the things that distract their attention. For instance, eating distracts the attention of a man. A person who thinks about food only, thinks that life does not exist without eating. He is right to think that the person has to eat, but to think mainly about eating does not correspond to the Divine Life. Eating is a condition, a means to an end, but it is not an aim. A fish thinks that unless she swallows the smaller fish, she cannot live. She preaches the teaching that if she does not live in the water everything is finished with her. Why? Because each fish, that has tried to get out of the water has finished with death. So the fish concludes: That life does not exist outside the water.

 

What does a person say about this question, though? Examining the course of life he says: Thanks to the great sufferings, the fish began to try to get out of the water. For thousands of years, they tried to get out of the water and adapt to the state of the air before they turned into birds. The fish cannot grow in the water, because they eat each other there. Do you think that the people who eat meat have conditions for growth either? As he eats pork, man acquires some of the features of a pig. As he eats chicken, he acquires some of the features of the hen. Consequently, whatever food man eats, he acquires its features.

 

So, if he wants to protect himself from the bad characteristics of the food he eats, man has to purify it first. For this purpose he should learn the laws of purification. The vegetarians say that their food is purer than the food of the meat eaters. They are vegetarians, but nevertheless they eat cow and sheep butter, drink milk, eat eggs, and even like fish. They excuse themselves saying, that Christ also ate fish with his disciples. The Disciples of Christ caught fish by themselves and Christ grilled it on His fire. Each person would like to eat from the fish that Christ grilled on His fire. The fire on which Christ grilled the fish has an inner meaning. A man should understand this meaning first and speak after that. We examine eating as an internal – not as an external process. The inner side of eating is a method for knowing the great life. That is why Christ says: “Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you have no life in you.” This means, that if you eat the flesh of Christ and drink His blood, you have life in you. But if you eat the flesh of animals, or of people, and drink their blood - you have no life. It is not one and the same thing whose flesh you eat and whose blood you drink. The very way in which you eat the flesh and drink the blood also matters. If you go among the man-eaters who eat human meat you will see scary things. The man-eater is more horrifying than a beast. He is more horrifying even than the Devil. What can you acquire from human meat?

 

Today, both secular and religious people strive towards fast acquisition of knowledge, wealth, and power. In this respect, they are impatient – they want to know everything. They resemble children, who knowing that they are having new clothes made, constantly ask their mother when their new clothes will be ready. They want to put on their new clothes for the forthcoming feast, so that they can show their friends that they are dressed nicely. They do not know that they are the same both in their new and in their old clothes. The coat does not change the human character.

In the present conditions it is not possible for a person to know everything. If he knew everything, he would have been very unhappy. Learning would not bring him anything special. No matter how learned he is a man does not change his character. As they become very learned, people begin to divide into groups and cannot get along. This is what we see in Christianity. As the number of Christians increased, as comments and interpretations on famous religious questions appeared, Christians divided into east and west and into Christians-Evangelists. The East and the West Christians paid more attention to the outer side of Christianity: to the outer ceremonies, to the clothes of the priest. According to their interpretations, the priest is a substitute of God, they say that he should be dressed in expensive clothes and he should wear a king’s mantle, with a crown on his head and a sceptre in his hand. With this, they want to emphasize the sanctity of the Divine servant. These are human regulations, though. God has not given them. Did Moses have a sceptre in his hand when he led the Jews away from Egypt? He carried in his hand a simple shepherds staff, with which he made great miracles. It was enough to hit with this staff to get what he wanted. What is the use of holding a golden wand or sceptre in your hand and to hit with it, but not to get what you want? The sceptre symbolizes knowledge. What is the use of knowledge from which you cannot get anything? No matter how many times you hit with this knowledge, nothing happens. Knowledge has a meaning only after you hit with it, you can do what you like.

 

The sceptre, which knowledge brings, should be used. It can be used only after it is broken. If you install a wire for electricity along a circle, you will have an electrical current, but you will not have light. If you want to have light, break the circle somewhere else and get two poles, through which two streams might flow.

 

A young boy inherited a rod from his grandfather. His grandfather told him: This rod remained from your great-grandfather. Great force is hidden inside it. The boy interpreted the words of his grandfather literally. Wherever he went he carried the rod with him. Ten years passed. The boy grew and became a young man, but instead of helping him the rod made him unhappy. Each of his undertakings ended in failure. As he looked at the rod in his hand, he felt like throwing it somewhere, but something in him did not let him. One day he went to cut down trees. At this moment, a bull appeared who was ready to kill him. The young man raised the rod against the bull and began hitting his head. As he hit him several times the bull got out, but the rod broke. Lo and behold! Several golden coins fell from within the stick. Only now the young man understood why his grandfather was telling him that the strength was in the rod. He regretted that the bull had not come earlier so that he could break the rod over his head.

 

Consequently, as a man acquires some knowledge, he has to have a sense, an idea of how to put it into practice in his life. In order to be able to apply his knowledge reasonably, a person should also have experience. To have an insight means to perceive things internally. Guessing implies being able to draw a conclusion on the grounds of what you perceived by the help of your insight. But experience has only that one who can apply his knowledge. [M1] A man applies the experience first to himself: to his heart, mind, soul, and Spirit.

 

People often talk about the heart, mind, soul, and Spirit without understanding the essence. They talk about the soul and they think that the soul is subordinate to the body. They talk about the mind and they think that the mind is only an instrument. They talk about the heat and they examine it as a vital organ, participating in the blood circulation process. The heart solves the economical problem of the human organism. They say, that the heart pulsates, that is, that it beats 72 times per minute. Each beat of the heart is a cosmic one. This shows, that the heart is related to the cosmic energy. At each heart beat there comes new energy, as a result the whole organism is rejuvenated.

 

The number 72 plays an important role in Nature. For instance, 72 people translated the sacred books. The number seven is a positive number and denotes the creative powers in Nature. The number two is a negative number that arranges things. So, the number seven is a creative number of the angels, while the number two is a creative number of the Divine World. The two numbers – the positive number of the angels and the negative number of the Divine World unite in the common number 72. As man lives normally, according to the Law of Love, his pulse is normal; if he breaks this law, his pulse changes. All the negative states that man experiences – doubt, suspicion, discouragement, losing of faith, lack of Love, influence the human pulse. Not knowing this, a person causes himself misfortunes. With his negative thoughts and feelings he changes the cosmic pulse – the bearer of the Divine blessing. It depends on the human himself if the ways for this blessing will be opened. He himself blocks and unblocks it. In this respect, a person resembles an English millionaire, who one day entered the basement to count his gold and remained there. He forgot to take the key with him and due to his carelessness the door swung shut behind him. The key remained outside and he met his death beside his favourite wealth. Before his death, he wrote the following words: If someone could have brought me a piece of bread I would have given him half my fortune.

 

In conclusion to this I say: Never leave the key of your inner fortune outside. As you unlock your fortune, keep the key with you. Man has at his disposal three keys: the key of faith, the key of hope, and the key of Love. As he is hopeful, a man applies the first key. As he gains faith – he applies the second key. As he acquires Love – he applies the third key. Faith, hope, and Love represent three keys for revealing the secrets of Nature and the Divine treasures, determined from time immemorial for the souls that have come and that are coming on Earth to do the will of the Father.

 

The wish of you all should be reduced to this – to feel to what extent you do the Divine will, according to the laws of hope, faith, and Love. If you do the Divine will according to the law of hope, you should be dressed in a Divine garment. If you do the Divine will according to the law of faith, you should be a source of Divine water. If you do the Divine will according to the law of Love, you should be dawned by Divine Light. Love illuminates a man. Dawning on him, it awakens bright thoughts and exalted feelings. Christ says: “No one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit”, that is, unless you are born of the water - that comes as a result of the law of faith, and of the Spirit - that comes as a result of the Law of Love. Love is the bread descending from heaven. If he does not feed on Love, man cannot be born again. Only the one who was born acquires civil rights that he can use.

 

“Unless you are born again.” The birth mentioned in this verse is not a single process. It is not a static, but a dynamic process. This birth comprises opportunities for growth. Indeed, after the child is born, it begins to grow as regards its body, mind, and heart. It should constantly grow in its acquisition of the Divine Knowledge. Growing in consciousness, man can be born again - of water and of the Spirit, - from where the creation of a new man begins. The people create this new man even now, but in the course of this process they use organs made by past generations, as a result of which their “new man” has their old habits and weaknesses. They take hope easily and they lose hope easily. It is noticed, that when he does not have money, man is indisposed, hangs his head and gets discouraged. As soon as he gets some money, his Spirit rises; he becomes pleased and ready for work.

 

Unless a person is born of water and of Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

 

The same holds true for the spiritual state of a man. As soon as he meets a good person - he gains courage. As soon as he meets a bad man - he loses courage and starts to think that all people are bad. Why do you gain courage after you meet a good person? A good person is like a statue, well made by a famous sculptor. This statue can be sold and it can provide for your whole life. A bad person is a simple, crude stone that was not yet processed by the tool of the great sculptor. A day will come, when this stone will fall into the hands of a sculptor, who will carve an excellent statue out of it. For the one who does not understand the Divine laws, this stone is not worth a bean. But for the one, who understands the Divine laws – he knows that the simple, unprocessed stone is an opportunity for the great sculptor to put his knowledge and art into practice. A bad person is like soil in which you can gain knowledge. What better condition for work might exist than the opportunity to turn the bad man to God?

 

Some religious people want to turn only rich people to God, for they have money, which they can give to the poor. They think that if they turn a poor man to God, he not only cannot give anything, but he will even ask from the others. This is a wrong view. Do not rate a man externally – as poor or rich – view him as a soul that carries its wealth with itself. In many cases the poor man is ready to give even more than the rich man. He is ready to work for the others and help them. There are poor men, who, as they turn to God, begin to work for their fellow men with Love and dedication.

 

An old legend tells the following incident from Buddha’s life. As a Brahmin, one day Buddha prayed to God. His prayer was very long, but he could not finish it, for he was very exhausted. Meanwhile, a rabbit passed by him and jumped into the fire to be roasted. Buddha made use of his sacrifice, cut a part of the meat and ate it. Gaining new strength, he finished his prayer and thanked God, that he had sent him the rabbit, so Buddha could fortify himself. In his next life as a Master, Buddha helped people and advised them how to live. One day he decided to rest and indulge in meditation. He told his disciples that this day he would not accept visitors. Brahmins and high-ranking people were coming, but he turned all of them away. Meanwhile there came a simple, poor man. As he saw him, Buddha stood up, met him kindly and talked with him for a long time. His disciples were very surprised and asked him: Master, today you refused to meet high-ranking people, but you showed this poor and simple man so much attention. For what reason did you do this? Buddha answered: in the distant past this man was a rabbit. One day, as I prayed to God and was very exhausted, he sacrificed his life for me – he jumped into the fire and was roasted. I ate from him and refreshed myself and was able to finish my prayer. Today I repay him for his sacrifice.

 

Contemporary people demand great attention either from God, or from a person. In order to use somebody’s special attention, though, they should have made some sacrifice for him. Have they made the sacrifice the rabbit made for Buddha? Who has sacrificed his life for God? You, too, like to be loved without making any sacrifice for the people. How can you tell who loves you? If someone tells you sweet words, is this Love? The sweet words cannot be used to determine if it is Love. They can encourage the human and introduce some refreshment in him - this is not Love, though.

 

What is Love? When two young people fall in love within each other, they go blind and cannot see anything in front of them. They forget the whole world: no matter if they eat or drink – no one exists for them. They live for one another, they caress and stroke each other and say: our life was given meaning. This is a wrong view on Love, though - just then their lives lose their meaning. Their Love is refreshment, but it is not the eternal limitless Love. Perceiving Love that comes out of the Light of God man falls in love with everyone. He loves, he enjoys, and he is ready to sacrifice for all. He does not yet live in the realm of the individual but in the realm of Universal Love. This Love relates the human soul with the souls of people. He gets in touch with a living person, with his soul – not with his personality. It is great to love! Only the one, who is related with God – the only one that responds to the desire of a person to be loved, can feel the greatness of Love. God helps him in all cases and upon all sufferings. As he enjoys something, God enjoys with him. Whenever man turns to God with his prayer, he always gets His answer. God helps the human through people, animals, and plants – all of Nature is at His service.

 

As man encounters great suffering, he gets discouraged, loses his sense of life and starts to think that he is a great sinner and that everybody has deserted him. Just then, God sends him someone to grant him considerable attention and Love. Through this attention, God manifests Himself and helps him. If a person grasps that this is the Divine providence, he acquires something valuable. If he does not grasp and appraise it, he will lose it and he will experience great hardships. In order to easily manage with the hardships of his life, man has to be forever young and not get discouraged. Contemporary people grow prematurely old, because they think that they know everything. Their situation is like that of the frog in the puddle. In spring, until she is young, a frog croaks. The croak continues for three or four months and then stops. In winter, both the young and the old frogs become silent. Man should not be in the position of either the young, or the old frog. While he is young, he should be ready to study and acquire knowledge. Growing old, he should realize that he still has to learn a lot. No matter how learned a person is, there still are things, which he does not know.

 

A learned person got into the boat of a simple seaman for a row on the sea. He asked him: Do you know something about mathematics? – I don’t know anything. – You have lost a lot. – Do you know something about astronomy? - I don’t know anything. - You have lost a lot. - Do you know something about natural sciences? - I don’t know anything. - You have lost a lot. – At this time there arose a tempest in the sea. Then the seaman asked the learned person: Do you know how to swim? - I do not. – You lose everything. With my ignorance I will preserve my life – the most valuable thing for a man, while you - in spite of your knowledge - will lose everything.

 

Many contemporary people know everything - like this learned person - but they do not know one thing only – how to swim. What can be likened to swimming in life? Swimming might be likened to Love. The one, who does not know Love, has lost everything. Apostle Paul says: “If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.” In order to enter the kingdom of God and release his soul from all the hardships and sufferings, man should attain Love. Man can break free from his past, present and future only with the help of Love. He will break free from his sufferings – from his past life - and he will stop expecting his happiness from his present and future.

 

Many people expect that in the future Christ will come to the Earth to save them. Christ lives in the present, in that, which was born from Love. A mother loves her child because she gave birth to it. To the other children she does not have any special attitude, because she did not give birth to them. This means, that a man feels Love only towards those thoughts and feelings he has received from Love. Towards all the other thoughts and feelings he has another attitude. Consequently, to know a person means to experience his Love. In order for him to know you, he has to experience your Love. In other words: in order for you to know the one who loves you, you should pass through the door of his Love. He, too, can know you only if he passes through the door of your Love. Christ passed through the door of human Love as well – he experienced the sufferings. He sacrificed everything out of Love towards humanity. Christ says: “I am the door. That one, who does not enter through me, cannot enter the Kingdom of God.” Christ passed through the door of human Love. Now a human should pass through the doors of His Love. The one, who passes through this door, will enter the Kingdom of God. Christ expresses this thought with the words: "If a man loves me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.”

 

So, each man should pass through the door of Love. Is this door at one place, though? It is at many places. How many times should the human pass through the door of Love? He should pass through it many times. Imagine that you have to walk along a way, several thousand kilometres long. To walk this way you have to pass by many places: valleys and fields, mountains and forests. Each of these places has its own door through which you should pass. If you should pass through many doors in order to pass through the ways on Earth, how many more doors should you pass through, in order to enter the Kingdom of God? At every step you will pass through the beings, which will test your Love. As they see, that you have the Love with which you can enter the Kingdom of God, they will let you in and they will provide you with a free ticket. The exaltation of the human soul as it catches a glimpse of the Divine face is great! After the resurrection Christ appeared before his disciples, but He told them: “Don’t touch me until I ascend to my Father.“

 

What does it mean to ascend to God? In order to ascend to God, man has to have passed through the greatest sufferings and to have drunk the cup of sorrow. Only such a man is ready to face the face of God. Nothing in the world can bring him back from his way. Nothing can tempt him. Why does God give to the man a bitter cup instead of a sweet one? If He gives him a sweet cup, every man will drink it. Every man whom He meets in His way will stop Him, drink from His cup and leave. No one wants to drink from the bitter cup, though. Consequently, no one can take away from the human the wealth he has acquired through suffering. The one, who has gone through suffering, says: I felt good that I suffered.

 

Why does suffering come in human life? Because they have to acquire the goods that God has determined for them. This thought should underlie deep into the human mind, so as he comes across some suffering he might see what is hidden in it, instead of complaining about it. Suffering is a screen, behind which some good is concealed.

 

Three young men fell in love with a beautiful wise young lady and each of them wanted to marry her. In order to test their Love, she subjected them to the following test: she made a cardboard barrier that looked like a steel one and stuck three sharp knives into it. The candidate had to pass through this wall on a bicycle. The one, who dared to do this, would have the beautiful young lady. The first candidate accelerated, but getting near the wall he saw the three sharp knives and stepped back: I do not want to die! The second candidate accelerated, came to a certain place, but seeing the sharp knives thought: What will I get from the young lady if I make this sacrifice for her? At this thought, he hesitated and moved back. The third candidate accelerated, not thinking about the consequences. He had one wish only – to marry the beautiful young lady. What happened? The barrier and the knives proved to be cardboard. He reached the wall, broke it and appeared to the other side. He gained the Love of the young lady. As they saw this, the other two candidates said: We could also do this.

 

Today, everyone is subjected to the same exam. As they come near the cardboard wall, all of them step back. A poor simple man will be found, though, who does not think much about the consequences and who will pass through the barrier. After that, the second exam will follow – passing through fire. The barrier through which the human should pass will be made of iron. In order to overcome it, he should have great heat - to melt it. If he does not dare to pass through it, he will not be able to pass his exam. The difficulties in life are nothing but an iron barrier. They can be melted only through fire. They are a result from the struggle between the outer and the inner life of a person. The one, who withstands this struggle, will be saved. The saved one will live in Divine freedom and service to God. It was said in the Scriptures: “Only the pure in heart shall see God.” It is worth it for a man to pass through all the sufferings and purify his heart, so he can see the face of God and the face of Christ. “To see the face of God” and “to know love” would mean that he has attained the wishes of his soul. Strive for this Love that shall provide you with the flight of the angels, so that you can tour the whole universe and study it.

 

I wish you to feed with Love, to be born of water and Spirit, to become citizens of the Kingdom of God.

 

Christ says: “That one who loves me will be loved.”

 

July 23, 5 a.m.

 

----------------------------

John, chapter 3

 

 [M1]Unclear - {But only the one who has experience can apply his knowledge.}

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